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Kitchen Ceiling Lighting White Cabinets Medium Hardwood Floors Refrigerator Wood Counters Design Photos and Ideas

A short hall connects the kitchen to the bathroom and holds integrated shelving, a wardrobe, and an electrical box. The open stair treads leading up to the sleeping loft save on space and keep sight lines open.
Douglas fir paneling and ceiling beams punctuate the crisp white space, complementing Baltic birch plywood cabinetry and white oak countertops in the kitchen.
Connoisseurs of living tiny, Heather and Kevin Fritz started their own design-build business to offer truly custom solutions.
Interior Designer Stephanie Dyer in the completed project.
Dyer Studio custom-designed the island with a black-stained white oak wood base and a walnut and soapstone counter that curves at both ends.
Dyer was inspired by all of the original curved details throughout the home, and wove subtle references into the kitchen’s design, including the scalloped detail in the stone counter and backsplash, the curving walls of the stove alcove, and at the coved ceilings.
Removing the dropped ceilings had a dramatic effect on the perceived size of the room. “I think the ceiling height alone changed how that space felt,” says Dyer.
The team added a bank of windows above the sink to flood the room with light. The ceiling pendants are from Allied Maker and the stool is the Cherner Counter Stool from Design Within Reach.
Per the clients’ request, the kitchen skews to a predominantly white color palette, with the bespoke island providing contrast.
The home’s philosophy was inspired by the works of Alvar Aalto and Louis Kahn. The use of locally available and low-cost pine and Carrara stone gives it an almost Scandinavian sensibility, which the couple describe as “Scandi meets carpentry modernism.”
New wood floors were laid in a herringbone configuration in the kitchen, and the butcher block counters also have that pattern.
In the kitchen, Rossi pulled down the drywall to expose the unique framing at the peaked ceiling. "When we opened it up, it had that beautiful curved detail," says Rossi. "That's super rare." The team added glass there to emphasize the detail.
The window units over the counter were also salvaged finds.
The original home had very few handrails along the open edges of each floor. As part of the renovation, SOM added simple handrails that would not compete with the architecture. On stairs without railings, cushions offer a gentle resistance to people standing near the edge.
A pulled-back view of the kitchen shows how the space connects to the rest of the home and opens to the outdoors.
The original kitchen countertops (on the left) are made of teak salvaged from the Battleship Colorado, which was dismantled in 1960 in Bremerton, Washington. Built by master craftsman Flemming Sorensen, the surface is screwed down, and the screws are plugged—mimicking the way the deck of a boat is installed.
Thomas transformed the kitchen from an “awkward, closed-off space” into an airy cook's corner where loved ones can congregate. Thomas put in high-end, smart appliances (the refrigerator connects to Instacart), swapped upper cabinets for open shelving, and repainted and reconfigured the space to an L-shape to fit a row of Shaw stools in walnut from Rejuvenation. The cabinets are all IKEA with Semihandmade doors in Slab Antique, while counter tops and floating shelves are from Limber Liquidators, with brass strap brackets by Rejuvenation. “All of this is tied together with a giant wallop of color by Fireclay Tile. I chose a blend of saffron, avocado, and sorbet pink as my color cues throughout the cabin, and these custom handmade tiles are just so joyful and unexpected.”
Large windows, smart storage solutions, and a minimalist aesthetic helped achieve the open and airy feeling the couple craved.
The Open Kitchen and Dining Table
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